Is it possible to write a play about global warming that isn't talking heads but a dramatic story that draws us in and makes for engaging theater?

The French Canadian playwright Chantal Bilodeau has proven it's more than possible with her deeply moving play "Sila," which is being given its world premiere by Underground Railway Theater. "Sila" means breath, air, intelligence, and consciousness that connect everything. It's poetically woven through the play.

Bilodeau sets "Sila" on Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic, where temperatures are rising at twice the rate of the rest of the world and where the Inuit life and culture are deeply affected by the change. This is the first of eight plays she plans to write, each about the impact of climate change on one of the eight arctic countries. The next play will be set in Norway.

Bilodeau is a very smart writer. One of the great pleasures of the play is being immersed in a culture that's so different from most of ours-the Inuit culture and even the culture of whites who live and work on Baffin Island. Other pleasures of the play include the rich variety of characters, including not only humans but a mother and a baby polar bear (beautifully made, large puppets operated by actors who speak for the bears), and Nuliajuk, the Inuit goddess of the ocean and underworld, represented by a shadow puppet with a human voice. Bilodeau beautifully braids the characters and stories together. There are crisp lines, poetic imagery, spoken word poetry, occasional lines in French and Inuktitut, sophisticated humor, white-knuckle suspense, tragedy, and tenderness.

One of the most moving things about the play is that one of the key characters, Jean (Nael Nacer), changes dramatically over the course of the play-from a cool Quebecois scientist to a man who begins to care deeply about those around him. It all makes for a rich show that respects our intelligence while requiring us to listen closely.

There are a couple of places early in the show where we could use a little more assurance that we're not heading into mere argument over climate issues. The play opens with a beautiful poetic speech that Leanna (Reneltta Arluk, of Inuit descent) delivers at a conference. Arluk is a good actress and brings conviction to her role as a political advocate trying to challenge the United States. But in the opening speech, director Megan Sandberg-Zakian, who on the whole does a good job, might have helped her aim for more humility and poetic sensitivity rather than delivering it quite so much as a political declaration. There's also an early scene between Leanna and Thomas (Robert Murphy), a Coast Guard officer who's committed to developing a port and encouraging oil exploration, which becomes a bit talky. It's OK as it is, but it makes us wonder if the play will become mostly argument. It doesn't.

Page 2 of 2 - When we see the mother polar bear teaching her baby to hunt for seal, we know that we are in fresh and charming territory. Theresa Nguyen is delightful at manipulating and creating the spirit of the baby bear who doesn't have the patience to wait for seals and fears she'll never be a good hunter.

The story takes off when Jean arrives to do scientific research on the ice floes and finds that his Inuit guide, Kuvageegai (Jaime Carrillo), has his own mind about when they should head out onto the ice. One of the play's themes becomes western science as the only standard or including Inuit stories, mythology, and sensitivity to their environment.

Sophori Ngin brings great feeling to two mother roles-Veronica, who's the daughter of Leanna and has a son we don't see but is key to the story-and the mother polar bear. The two mother roles are closely intertwined. Veronica teaches at the local high school and performs spoken word poetry. We hear her deliver two spoken word poems by Taqralik Partridge. The first one, "Eskimo Chick," is sassy and charming. The second one, which closes the play, "No Sleep for the Wicked," is touching but takes careful listening.

Thomas and his younger counterpart in the Coast Guard, Raphael (Danny Bryck), spar with each other, often in humorous ways, but ultimately have a grudging respect for each other. The two actors create a harrowing rescue scene simply with overlapping phone conversations.

Nacer gives a terrific performance as Jean with lots of emotional intensity and variety, as his character faces tough situations. He gives a nuanced transformation from a self-centered scientist to someone who learns to care about others. That may be what's most needed as we face climate change. All of the cast members bring terrific intensity and passion to their roles.

Szu-Feng Chen's spare, white set-with northern lights playing across white curtains at one point-creates the feeling of the arctic.

This is a show that takes theater and us into new territory that's both very stimulating and satisfying.

David Brooks Andrews is a freelance writer. Follow us on Twitter @WickedLocalArts and on Facebook.